Towing Yellowstone Towing to Court

The City of Island Park was represented by City Attorney Stephen P. Zollinger, who swore out a criminal complaint on Brad Pickering, Dba Yellowstone Towing for using his residential property to conduct a commercial business. Mr. Pickering purchased the Hungry Bear Market property located on the flats, north of Sawtelle road recently. He also acquired the residence immediately West of the commercial property, across Highway 20. He demolished the fire-damaged market and constructed a building designed to conduct his towing, storage and repair business. The residential property is within the city limits while the adjacent commercial property is not.

It is alleged that Mr. Pickering has been using the residential property to conduct his business, as the commercial property has yet to be occupied. At the time of Mr. Pickering’s arraignment on the misdemeanor of “Failure to comply with the City of Island Park Development Code”, a meeting occurred between the defendant and Mr. Zollinger. The meeting was also attended by Mayor Tom Jewell and Jeff Patlovitch, the City Planning and Building Administrator. Mr. Zollinger reportedly offered to drop the charge if Mr. Pickering would refrain from using his residential property to conduct his business. The defendant insisted that he had grandfather rights to continue his current practice and would not relent. The matter was set for trial.

Island Park has a very unique environment. The city has the longest Main Street in America but few full-time residents. The economy is built around vacations and recreation. These activities are essential to the area’s economic survival. Managing such a large area is the job of the City of Island Park and Fremont County. If commercial enterprises were allowed to establish locations without restriction, the clusters of cabins so enticing to visitors could be made less desirable. This would harm everyone in the caldera and nearby communities. The City is correctly regulating where businesses may operate within its jurisdiction and Mr. Pickering’s attempts to circumvent those efforts are not appreciated.

Mesa Falls

Denial

Now that the election is over and the dust is settling, it is fascinating to observe the administration reinforcing their positions. The electorate voted to put the brakes on the dominating Federal government. The President declared after the loss that voters simply didn’t comprehend what he was trying to accomplish. His unpopularity is due to a lack of understanding by the citizenry, not the policies.

Last week a video surfaced of Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber speaking at a conference on March 12, 2014. Addressing the Affordable Health Care Act, he stated that the lack of transparency was a major factor in getting the bill passed because the “stupidity of the American voter” would have killed the law if they knew what was in it.

The paternalism in dismissing the will of the populace is further evidenced in the administration’s threat to use executive action to deal with immigration issues. There is no area of daily life that the central planners consider off limits. Consider the mandated school lunches that the students refused to eat.

This brings me to the “No to the National Monument” vote. If the administration thinks that the monument designation is a good idea, they won’t pay attention to the voices of Fremont County. The last best hope for Island Park is that Congress will keep the administration so busy that we will drop off their radar.

The central planners make life too difficult. The private sector has been forced to downsize due to the economy and new regulations. Simplicity is always the best route to solve a problem, but that doesn’t require hordes of bureaucrats. 

That was a Busy Weekend!

If you have ever organized a family reunion, you know that there is uncertainty about how many family members and guests are going to show up. You make preparations based on your best guess and cross your fingers. The Fourth of July in Island Park is similar for the residents. Businesses order inventories according to their best estimates, county and city services staff to meet expected demand and everyone hopes that their preparations are sufficient.

This Fourth of July weekend seemed to tax those preparations as the gathering in Island Park was well attended by visitors wanting to celebrate our country’s birthday in one of its most beautiful locations. Employees worked hard to attend to lines of customers that descended on the various establishments.

The emergency medical services were busy attending to both medical conditions and accidents. Fremont County Deputies worked tirelessly reminding visitors to avoid activities that would injure themselves or others.

I do not want to be accused of exaggerating the size of the crowds but I could have walked the Henry’s Fork from Big Springs to Mack’s Inn without getting wet using boats as stepping stones!

With the end of any holiday comes the recovery. It is a little like coming down from a sugar high. For the businesses and services of Island Park, there is no time to rest. The crowds diminish somewhat, there are many visitors yet to come this summer who have been looking forward to their vacation all year and it is the residents’ responsibility to make sure they are not disappointed.

Yellowstone Country Safety * Summer Friends *

It is great to see the summer residents that I missed over the winter. It is my favorite change that comes with Memorial Day weekend.

Fireworks in Island Park

It was a dark, drizzly Fourth of July night when the crack of fireworks summoned me from our cabin. I was shocked to see that someone was lighting aerial fireworks through the trees of a nearby cabin. 

While the media focus on the danger of a Yellowstone super volcano eruption, the most likely source danger for the area is from a forest fire. A large fire could devastate entire communities in Island Park.

I made some recent inquiries regarding Fremont County fireworks laws. I found that there are none on the books. There are Federal laws prohibiting fireworks in national forests but those laws are not enforceable by county or state law enforcement. I suggested to both the county commissioners and Sheriff Len Humphries that specific limitations on fireworks for the Island Park area be considered.

The case could be made that use of personal fireworks in Island Park is not worth the possibility of a devastating fire. While residents take the appropriate steps to be safe, vacationers may not be as cautious.

With the pending arrival of the summer visitors to Island Park, residents are busy preparing for the extra company. The swelling population always raises concerns for the safety of vacationers and residents alike. Proactive steps allow everyone to have a great summer in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Yellowstone Country Safety * Spring Clean-up *

I am always amazed just how much I have to clean up after our dog when the snow melts.

Winter hides so many sins.

The End

The End

If Jim Morrison of the Doors had lived and experienced living in Island Park, his song “The End” might have sounded something like this:

This is the end, beautiful friend

This is the end, of winter’s grip, the end.

Of nature’s cloak of white, the end

Of snow machines’ loud whine, the end

No safety or surprise, the end

I wait for warmer skies again

Can you picture what will be, so green and snow free?

Desperately in need of some stranger’s hand, in a muddy land

Stuck up to the axels in mud

This sight-seeing trip turned into a dud

I should have waited until the end of the flood

Now I have to call and wait for my bud

There is danger through the center of town

People drive too fast on highway 20, baby

Drivers swerve to avoid a moose

Slow down on highway 20, baby

Fish the Snake; fish the Snake,

Or the lake, Henry’s Lake, baby

The snake is long, many miles

Fish the snake, it’s clear and you may see some deer

The west is the best, the west is the best

Get here and you’ll get some rest

Spring bear season is calling us

Spring bear season is calling us

The first big game hunt is worth the fuss

The hunter awoke before dawn, he put his boots on

He took a bow from its rack and he walked on down the hall

He went into the room where his wife slept, kissed her

And then he gathered up his day pack

And then he walked on down the hall

He came to the door and he walked outside

Father, please bless me with a successful hunt

And protect my family while I am gone

Next time, come on a hunt with us,

Next time, come on a hunt with us

I’ll meet you back at the cabin tonight, baby

This is the end, beautiful friend

The end

Too Much Turmoil

Sheri and I were on an early morning bow hunt south of the scout camp. Making our way towards a bugling elk, we heard the sounds of a bear rolling logs in the nearby brush. We moved away undetected by the bear, avoiding a confrontation. One cannot always master their environment but must learn to exist within it.

Our country is embroiled in a massive amount of turmoil. Those pushing for change do not seem to be concerned by the warning signs of confrontation. Programs that promote health care changes, gay marriage, drug legalization, firearms restrictions, financial insecurity and increased spending/taxes are all being forced upon the citizens without its consensus. We have been forced to give up our light bulbs for the lousy, mercury-filled alternatives!

The number of food stamp recipients has doubled. People are demanding increased wages at fast food restaurants because they are being filled by mature adults instead of teens. This leaves the young with limited job opportunities. The pressure builds!

An increased number of shootings and the dismal state of the political discourse are all signs that people are feeling backed into a corner. This country has a groove in which it functions best and people feel secure. The social progressives have undertaken the challenge of uprooting the American culture and lifestyle in order to transform the country. Their heavy-handed tactics have created stress and uncertainty. Those engineering change have not won wide acceptance their agenda but that seems to be of little concern. The architects proclaim that the changes are for the common good. It has been decreed that all must follow their orthodoxy. It would seem that allowing others to live according to their own ideals would be a wiser course.

There is a large grizzly in the thicket. Some refuse to recognize the danger and insist in dragging the bear out of the brush. It is better for all concerned to leave the bear alone.

Protecting the Protectors

I was in Robin’s Roost this week. A clerk told me about a couple of fights that had occurred in a local bar the past few nights. Apparently a couple of visitors from the flat decided to raise a little hell, requiring responses from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and ISP.  

The incidents brought back memories of my time as a Pocatello Police officer. My first fight occurred when I was a rookie. I confronted a man who had been prying open coin mechanisms at a car wash. As I approached, he started to walk off.  I grabbed his arm and the fight was on! He grabbed for my holstered pistol and I found myself fighting for my life. After some wrestling, I threw him to the ground and cuffed him. Looking up after the arrest, I saw a man standing at a pay phone not 30 feet from me! I remember thinking that as my life flashed before my eyes; he had been standing there, watching the show. I tossed him a quarter and asked him to call the department for backup.

I decided then that I would cultivate relationships with the citizens to help me survive in the field. I responded to numerous of bar fights. While it was a rush to mix it up, patrons and bouncers kept others from jumping in while I subdued a suspect. I appreciated those who helped me make it home at the end of my shift.

Island Park can be a dark and isolated place for a patrolling officer. 

A routine traffic stop or disturbance can suddenly deteriorate into a struggle for survival. Backup can be miles away. It is not uncommon to see someone pulled over on a dark stretch of Highway 20. Do you slow to see if the officer is safe?

While it is the officer’s job to enforce the law, it is the community’s job to help ensure their safety. Be attentive to dangerous situations and offer assistance when necessary. Island Park is blessed with a great group of law enforcement professionals. We should do what we can to make sure that they make it home at the end of each shift.

The Storm

Greg and I had just finished hauling a load of road base for his driveway when we heard that a tornado had been spotted near Dubois and the storm that spawned it was headed our way.

Storm clouds were moving in from the southwest and progressively becoming more ominous. The front moved across the caldera towards Yellowstone and its dark lead edge of clouds was churning upward from the ground. We were viewing this example of nature’s power from my front yard, when we heard a single noise, wap!

We recognized that sound. Hail was on its way. A few hail stones hit the ground, a few more and then the floodgates opened as we ran for cover. This was my first encounter with horizontal hail. Nickel-sized ice balls were incoming from the west and shattering with a loud crack on everything they hit. My attention turned to the windows on the west side of the cabin. I was afraid that they would sustain a direct hit and shatter. After ten minutes of intense fury, the hail stopped as quickly as it began. With no visible damage, I was able to savor the power and beauty of the storm. I had dodged a bullet; actually thousands of frozen ones! 

The next day I dropped into the bank and discovered that the Elk Creek area had not been so lucky. The break room freezer had been converted into an evidence locker. Alicia and Kari produced a handful of golf ball-sized hail and recounted how, despite their attempt to move their cars to shelter, the vehicles were left with a dimpled texture reminiscent of golf balls. They took the damage in stride, as seasoned residents of Island Park.

Weather is like food and variety is good. The warm and dry summer of Island Park is like a great burger. No matter how much you love it, a steady diet of the same thing gets old. The other nine months of the year provides a variety that is hard to beat!

All That Is Old Is New Again

   In 1991, I began selling life and health insurance. The work was long but the money was decent and it seemed that I could be a help to others. It was a life far removed from the previous 11 years that I spent as a police officer for the City of Pocatello and as an owner of a bodybuilding gym.  Later I expanded into mutual funds and business was good. The industry was changing however. No longer did the corporate headquarters recognize significant value of agents in small markets. Eventually the company was sold to an international concern and I was let go.

   We started Bogden Outdoor Equipment in the hope that we could create an income for ourselves. I designed the Flashlantern and we were off and rolling. While promoting our new venture, I also spent the past year doing some bail bonds and fugitive recovery work.

New snowfall June 6 in the mountains above the cabin.

   I remarried eight years ago to Sheri and while I was dealing with my transition, she was facing her own obsolescence. She had been working in a mail house but the years of hard work had taken it's toll on her body. She has endured two surgeries on her right arm within the previous 18 months and was let go from her job.


   We became a couple who were both middle-aged and discarded . After some introspection, we decided that since the job market was not good, we would create our own jobs. We believe that one of the greatest advantages of this country is the ability to reinvent one's self  and create economic opportunity!




      We started Bogden Outdoor Equipment in the hope that we could create an income for ourselves. I designed the Flashlantern and we were off and rolling. While promoting our new venture, I also spent the past year doing some bail bonds and fugitive recovery work.  I took Sheri with me on a few arrests and she seemed to have fun.

   Finally, Sheri and I had an opportunity to move to Island Park, Idaho. We live about 5 miles west of the western border of Yellowstone Park. We both felt that it was time to reboot our lives and see what life has in store for us. This blog is a chronicle of our journey. Wish us luck and follow along if you would like.

  You can check out our products by clicking on the FlashLantern link on the right side of the blog page.